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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24150085">Taking It Home to Go It Alone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oleanderflowers/pseuds/oleanderflowers'>oleanderflowers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red vs. Blue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Insurrectionist-Centric, M/M, RvB Rare Pair Week, RvB Rare Pair Week 2020, Season/Series 10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:20:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,964</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24150085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oleanderflowers/pseuds/oleanderflowers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Demo Man gets a family, only to lose it to a group of armored killers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Demo Man &amp; Girlie, Demo Man &amp; Resistance Sniper, Demo Man/Sleeveless Insurrectionist, Girlie &amp; Resistance Sniper</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Red vs. Blue Rare Pair Week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Taking It Home to Go It Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If there’s one thing Demoman knows in his life, it’s that he and his friends are very hard to get rid of. Also, Sleeves will almost always be there, at his side, when times are rough. Hence why it comes no surprise when a Pelican flies down to the destroyed Bjørndal Cryogenics Research Facility and Sleeves is there in it, his gaze sweeping across the wreckage.</p><p>Demo’s not quite sure how he survived the explosion, but he has a few survivors with him and needs assistance. Those damn freelancers, coming in and killing just about everyone here. What is wrong with them? Demo knew all the names of his soldiers stationed here, and now only Collins and Sanchez are left. Nonetheless, they wave down the Pelican and Sleeves reaches his arms out towards Demo, lifting him up and away from the facility.</p><p>Ever since joining up with this group all those years ago, there have been many close calls such as this, but most weren’t caused by only three people. Sure, there’s been enemies that were just as bad as the freelancers, but none as experienced. Still, the freelancers just can’t get rid of Demo’s group, Or, at least, that’s what he’s convinced himself of.</p><p>That’s not the last time they run into the freelancers. There’s a nice period of peace where Demo can laugh with his friends. He can watch Sniper chilling with his soldiers and Girlie throwing knives and Chain Girl and Chain Guy doing whatever the hell it is they do. It’s good when he and Sleeves can just sit together, hand in hand, watching everyone else do their thing.</p><p>Sometimes Boss comes around, checking in on everyone. He cares about them, unlike their employer, and likes to make sure everyone’s doing good. They joke about the old times, before they were hired by Charon. The odd jobs they’d take, the late nights, so on and so on.</p><p>Despite what the freelancers think, Demo and his team are not Insurrectionists. They’re more of a hirable security group and have done nothing wrong against the UNSC. Their group had just started out as Boss, Girlie, and Sniper before Demo came along. The Twins joined next, then Sharkface, and, finally, Sleeves.</p><p>Though he hates to admit it, Demo had quite a “love at first sight” situation when Sleeves joined. Girlie and Sniper would tease him for it mercilessly (they were always ganging up on him. They were partners in crime, after all). It had felt quite like they were in high school again. Eventually, it got to the point where Demo eventually slipped up and spilled his feelings. He sure was surprised when Sleeves confessed that he felt the same. Young love.</p><p>But then suddenly their leader has a double agent in Project Freelancer and the freelancers make another move. Charon Industries places everyone in and around the so-called “Insurrectionist Building” (of course, that’s what the freelancers call it. Why can’t anyone understand that they’re not innies?). Next thing Demo knows, he and his soldiers are surrounding those armored infiltrators and demanding their surrender.</p><p>Of course, the same lady from the research facility is there, the one with the ability to change armor color. She sneaks into their ranks and starts taking them out, giving the rest of the freelancers a chance to attack. The tan one holds out the object that Demo had thought was a bomb and simply asks, “Hey man, you mind holding this for me for a sec?” Normally, Demo would say no, but the thing is shoved into his hands before he can reject it.</p><p>He vaguely remembers the freelancer telling him that it is a transmitter as he looks around him, realizing that he’s the only one left standing. There’s a red light glowing from the transmitter, leading up to the sky, so he follows it with his gaze. The freelancer retreats with a quick “Thank you” and Demo frowns. Something’s not right.</p><p>There’s a bright light from the sky bearing down on him. Its glow reflects in his visor and he registers it as a MAC round at the last moment. “Aw, son of a-” he begins, being immediately cut off by the beam hitting him.</p><p>The blast sends him down and he’s tumbling over himself, disoriented as fuck. He can’t see, can’t hear, can’t feel anything except immense amounts of pain. The screams that tear from his throat are drowned out by the explosion and the noise of breaking glass. He can’t feel his left arm and has no idea where the transmitter went, let alone if it’s even important anymore.</p><p>Demo must’ve blacked out for a second, as he doesn’t remember hitting the ground and rolling onto his back. He stares up at the huge hole in the 110-storied building, feeling like he’s drowning in the pain, unable to move or do anything else. He wants to call out for someone, for anyone, but everyone else has to be dead.</p><p>His ears won’t stop ringing but he can still hear the creak and groans of the building, punctuated by even more explosions. The last thing he sees before passing out is the walls collapsing towards him, threatening to bury him underneath layer and layer of rubble.</p><p>Demo awakes to his armor beeping constantly and he groans, slowly opening his eyes. He can’t see anything except for the warning messages flashing over his cracked HUD and darkness. There’s a dryness in his throat and every single part in his body is screaming at him to get help. His head pounds and he probably has a concussion, but it’s truly a miracle that he’s still alive.</p><p>One of many downsides is that he can’t move. At all. There’s rubble and debris pressing down at him on all sides, restricting him from even turning his head. Still, he struggles, trying to push the rubble off with his arm.</p><p>It’s then that he realizes why he can’t feel his left arm. It’s not there. Neither is his shoulder, or even part of his side. There’s just a mangled mess remaining from where his shoulder was. It’s cauterized from the beam but definitely not a clean cut. Demo’s breath quickens and he knows he’s going into shock but he can’t stop it. He’s entombed in this darkness with no arm, a probable concussion, a breaking helmet, and little to no chance of getting out of here.</p><p>He’s not sure how long he lays there, waiting in the crushing darkness. There’s only static and warning noises coming from his helmet so he tries to block it out and focus. Maybe one of the others who weren’t in the building will come looking for him. Unless… No, he’s not going to think about that. They’ll come for him. They always do.</p><p>Demo is proved to be right when the rubble on top of him starts to shift. At first he thinks it’s his mind playing tricks on him, but then cracks of dusty sunlight begin filtering through. A chunk of rubble is removed and he squeezes his eyes shut at the sudden brightness. </p><p>“Jesus, Demo? That you?” he hears a familiar voice ask. He opens his eyes to Sniper’s specialized visor part, the two red dots focused on him.</p><p>Demo groans, weakly shifting his head. He tries to speak but his mouth feels like it’s full of cotton. Only a small whisper comes out.</p><p>“They really did a number on you, didn’t they. You’re in almost in as bad a condition as Terrence.” Sniper leans down to clear away the rest of the rubble trapping Demo. He then turns, waving at something unseen. “Hey, Sleeves! I got your boyfriend over here.”</p><p>Sleeves appears in Demo’s vision, his armor splashed with blood. There are a few bruises on his arms but he otherwise looks unharmed. His helmet hides any emotion, though he visibly grimaces as he looks Demo up and down.</p><p>The next couple of hours are lost to Demo as he fades in and out of consciousness. He’s vaguely aware of being carried to the LZ and of the others talking in hushed voices. Once or twice he manages to turn his head and observe the full damage inflicted onto his left side, though he always feels sick and has to look away.</p><p>They finally get on the Pelican and the pilot flies fast, faster than any bird he’s been in before. Demo can’t tell if he’s on the seats or on the floor or anywhere. He doesn’t want to close his eyes because every time he does, his mind just replays the sensation of the blast sending him almost 1980 feet to the ground.</p><p>The next time he fully regains consciousness, he’s in a hospital bed. A blanket is pulled up to his chin and he’s pretty sure he’s hooked up to some kind of IV or monitor. Probably both.</p><p>Though Demo’s vision is still blurry and he still feels disoriented, he begins looking around. Sleeves is asleep in the chair next to his bed and he can hear Girlie and Sniper talking out in the hallway. Sharkface is nowhere in sight, same with the twins and Boss.</p><p>Girlie and Sniper’s voices come closer and they walk into the room, Sniper holding up a hand to stop their conversation as he notices Demo awake. He gives Demo a smile and quietly walks closer, Girlie trailing behind him.</p><p>Their quiet movements somehow cause Sleeves to jerk awake, almost falling out of his chair in surprise. He quickly regains himself and observes the scene, his head tilted curiously.</p><p>“Good to see you awake. How’re you feelin’?” Sniper asks before anyone else can.</p><p>Demo blinks a few times, still adjusting to the bright hospital lights and the white walls. “Like shit,” he mumbles, wincing at every tiny movement and breath. “Fuckin… <em> damn </em>, it hurts.” It really does. He can’t see his left side thanks to the blanket, but he can feel the remains.</p><p>Sleeves manages to find his right arm under the blanket and sheets and holds it, giving Demo some comfort. Girlie sits on the edge of his bed and makes herself comfortable. “Wanna know ‘bout the others?”</p><p>He nods and she continues talking, starting with, “The twins and Boss are fine, so’s Sniper and Sleeves. You wouldn’t believe it; Sleeves shot one of those fuckers in the throat <em> nine </em> times and he still lived! Like, what the fuck, man?” She pauses before tugging down the hem of the t-shirt she has on, revealing some bandages wrapped around her chest. “The aqua bitch stabbed me with the brute’s weird knifle thing. Nothing serious, but it’ll leave a scar.”</p><p>Sniper takes this as an invitation to pick up the story. “Terrence is not doing so good. Part of his face is burned up and… Well, he still has his bones, but they’re very shattered. The docs say they’re gonna put metal plates into his body. He’s going to be out of the fight for a while.”</p><p>“He needs some rest,” Sleeves pipes up, sadly shaking his head. “We all do.”</p><p>They lapse into a sort of companionable silence, listening to the beeping of the monitor and the faint buzz of the hospital lights. Girlie finally speaks up, leaning forward on the edge of the bed. “So, the docs are going to get you some cybernetics. There’ll probably be some physical therapy, too,” she explains.</p><p>It’s all too much for Demo right now, so he simply nods and stays quiet. The others talk; sometimes to him, sometimes to each other, until the sky outside the windows grows dark and a doctor comes to check in on him.</p><p>Sleeves comes back early in the morning, a concerned look on his face. "Hey," he greets, looking like he needs to say something more.</p><p>"What is it?" Demo slurs, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He holds out his right hand and begins making grabby motions at Sleeves until his hand is held. </p><p>Sleeves sits down on the seat he was on yesterday and sighs. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there to get you and Terrence out, or any of the soldiers. I could have done something but I was so wrapped up in getting the package away from the freelancers that I just-"</p><p>Demo cuts him off, shaking his head weakly. "No, no," he starts, trying to crack a smile. "If there's anyone to blame, it's those assholes who stole the package and destroyed the building in the first place. Sharkface and I just ended up the more unlucky of our group."</p><p>That seems to give Sleeves at least some comfort, as he nods and starts up with small talk. There's still a look of regret on his face as he prepares to leave, though. Demo can only hope that Girlie and Sniper will notice soon enough and say the same things.</p><p>This routine lasts for a few weeks as he gets fitted for prosthetics and begins to heal. After a little more than a month he’s released and back with his team. Thankfully, there’s a lack of freelancer related problems. All they’re really doing now is patrolling the places Charon sends them to and hanging out. </p><p>The months go on and on. Demo’s completely used to his cybernetics and only has checkups no more than once a month. He and the team, including the twins and Boss, check in on Sharkface every week. It’s funny how time can go by so quickly sometimes.</p><p>The months finally turn into a year when Boss convinces his double agent to defect from the Project. They hide out at some scrapyard and try to nuke the freelancers, to no avail. Nonetheless, this ‘C.T.’ lady is now one of them.</p><p>It takes a while to get used to her. C.T doesn’t really talk to them that much, so they usually ignore her in turn. Girlie doesn’t like her one bit, and neither does Sniper. Still, she’s Boss’s girlfriend or whatever, so she stays. </p><p>This of course puts everyone in more danger, as it doesn’t take long for the freelancers to come after CT. Most of Boss’s hirable protection team are at Longshore Shipyards, waiting for Charon’s orders and for CT to make a plan, when a ship drops from the sky. Quite literally drops. Out comes a bunch of those freelancers, in which Demo recognizes the tan one who gave him the transmitter and the aqua lady. Great.</p><p>He and Girlie rush into action, the latter giving the former a look when he starts yelling vulgar insults at the freelancers. What can he say, he’s always been a bit immature. All that aside, he quickly hops into a Warthog and takes off as soon as Girlie gets on the gunner’s place. As Sleeves starts fighting the tan freelancer, Demo gives chase after the grey one. Girlie begins to shoot at him but is kicked away by the aqua one. Where the hell did she come from?</p><p>Aqua tries to tackle Girlie but she manages to kick Aqua off. In return, Aqua begins to fire at her, but Demo drives up at the last moment and lets the Warthog take the plasma rounds. He pulls out his shotgun and aims it at her, saying, “Sup bitch, it’s payback time.”</p><p>Aqua dodges his shot and Demo goes back to help Girlie and Sleeves with the tan guy before a pod drops out of nowhere. Sleeves and Girlie turn to look back at it, helmets tilted in confusion, and a sort of silence falls over the shipyard. Then the drop pod door comes flying off and out steps a large and intimidating figure. The guy’s decked out in white armor and has the biggest visor Demo’s ever seen. There’s some fiery thing that appears on his shoulder and starts talking to him, fixated on Sleeves.</p><p>Demo’s close enough to hear the fire thing say, “Agent Maine, isn’t that the soldier from the freeway? The one that shot you in the throat?” The guy, presumable Agent Maine, growls in a response. “I thought so. Sic ‘em.”</p><p>Demo puts two and two together as Maine rushes towards Sleeves. With a screech of tires, Demo weaves around his friends and hits Maine straight on, shouting in surprise when the freelancer grabs the front of the Warthog and tears it apart. Then he’s flying through the air and tumbling out of the vehicle as it skids across the ground.</p><p>Demo begins to pick himself up, looking back and forth between Maine and his friends. “Is this the guy you shot?” he hisses to Sleeves. Before he can reply, a voice rings out and Demo looks up to see Aqua with her plasma pistols pointed at Girlie.</p><p>“Well hello. What a pleasure to see you again,” Aqua sneers. Demo leaps into action and comes at her from the side, barely missing her with his robot fist. She gets back up and examines her one broken gun before throwing it aside. She lifts up the other plasma pistol and prepares to shoot him when one of Girlie’s knives get embedded into the side of the gun.</p><p>“Pleasure’s all mine, bitch!” Girlie calls before going after Aqua. The freelancer throws her remaining gun at Girlie, who slices it in half. As Aqua manages to land a few hits, Demo joins the fight. They don’t notice Sleeves finally standing up and being met by Maine.</p><p>Demo and Girlie keep fighting Aqua, who’s a master at blocking and dodging. What a surprise. Demo growls at her to “come here” and she kicks him back before pulling out an electric staff. Girlie is able to block the staff with her knives but Aqua turns on Demo, hitting him instead. When Demo staggers forward, Maine comes into his line of sight and wraps his arms around his waist.</p><p>Demo barely has time to think about why Sleeves isn’t here before Maine picks him up and slams him down. It feels like he’s being thrown by someone with the force of twenty bears. He quickly gets back up and shouts, “To hell with you!”</p><p>As Maine runs at him again, he’s able to flip the guy and send him flying back towards Aqua. Maine crashes into his fellow freelancer before grabbing his knifle and shooting a grenade out towards Demo. In response, Demo grabs the grenade with his robot arm (which is pretty fucking awesome in his mind, mind you) and lobs it straight back at Maine.</p><p>Smoke goes up around where the grenade hit Maine and Demo squints, trying to see if he got him or not. He’s quickly answered when the knifle comes out and slices right through his prosthetic, eliciting a shout.</p><p>“My robot arm! Ah, you bitch!” He’s about to say more when Maine runs into him, sending him closer to the edge of the shipyard. The freelancer takes hold of his knifle once more and starts firing at Demo’s feet, forcing him closer and closer to the drop. Without anywhere else to go, Demo is blasted off of the edge and into the water down below.</p><p>At first everything is clouded by water. Thank god he still has his helmet. Without it, he’d be drowning. Demo quickly tries to tell which way is up and begins kicking, reaching out his right arm to try and break through the surface. </p><p>Seconds tick by and he finally surfaces from the murky water, furiously kicking to remain afloat. That’s not easy to do when in armor and still having metal parts. He looks up in time to see Girlie be thrown off as well, though she hits another ledge on the way down. Demo tries to get to her, watching as she disappears under the water not too far from him. If he can just make it in time to stop her from drowning-</p><p>Dread fills his body as she doesn’t resurface. He’s not going to make it in time. He’s never been much of a swimmer and the loss of his robot arm doesn’t help, neither does the pain from the grenades. It feels like forever before he finally reaches the spot she went under and starts diving under the water, looking for her. Visuals are shit underneath the brown water and there’s no sign of her at all.</p><p>She’s gone. She’s gone and Demo can’t do anything about it except continue to try and search until there’s an escape pod bursting out from the water and the freelancers all leave. He never finds Girlie, never even gets to see her face again. He knows Sniper is out there, riddled with so many bullet holes, accidentally killed by one of his own. Who knows where the Twins are, or if they’re okay. The escape pod must mean that at least someone’s alive. Hopefully Boss and CT made it out, but there’s still an empty feeling inside of him.</p><p>That leaves Sleeves. Last Demo saw of him was after Maine had ruined his Warthog. After that… Demo can worry about possibilities after he manages to get back up there. (This doesn’t mean he won’t worry, though. Of course he’s going to.)</p><p>It doesn’t take him long to find the dock access ladder, put there in case anyone falls into the water. Great. With a heavy heart and even heavier steps, he manages to get himself up the ladder one-handedly. He finally reaches the docks and trudges up the steps to the next level, refusing to look at Sniper’s body up above.</p><p>There are a lot of dead soldiers around and Demo grimaces, keeping his gaze on the ground. He doesn’t look up again until he catches sight of familiar black and red armor. It’s Sleeves. Demo rushes forward to Sleeves’s side, sees what happened to him, and promptly takes off his helmet so he can vomit all over the floor.</p><p>Sleeves’s head is bent at such an unnatural angle, his helmet not too far away. Maine must’ve done this. Demo pushes himself up onto his knees, breathing heavily and shaking. He grabs Sleeves’s hand, hot tears sliding down his face.</p><p>Memories threaten to flood his mind and he shakes his head, trying to clear them away. He has to get out of here and find the others, though he knows it’s useless. Girlie’s dead, Sniper’s dead, Sleeves is dead, the Twins, Boss, Sharkface… Everything hurts so much and it takes all of his effort to not curl up on the ground and cry.</p><p>With shuddering breaths, Demo reaches over and closes Sleeves eyes. He hates the look of surprise and fear that’s on Sleeves’s face, as if he was afraid of Maine. Demo is, too; who wouldn’t be?</p><p>But he’ll never feel Sleeves’s hand in his, he’ll never taste another long kiss, never have that same feeling of sharing a bed, never have someone to laugh fondly at him when he ignores protocol.</p><p>He’s alone now, so with one final look at Sleeves’s body, Demo stands up and walks away. He doesn’t know where he’s going, but he’ll figure it out. He has to.</p><p>He’s left with an empty heart, the few belongings he knows his friends left behind at their HQ (<em> necklaces, charms, books, pictures </em>), and a head full of bittersweet memories. It’s not much, but he’s still here, going along.</p><p>He won’t be able to get revenge on his own, but he hopes for the day when the freelancers are in the history books, painted as a bunch of heartless killers. There will be no one to remember Demo and his friends, no one to know what the freelancers did to them, but that’s alright.</p><p>It’s alright, so he keeps walking towards a desolate horizon. He doesn't look back.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The "Insurrectionists" were recently added to my list of Side Characters That I Care Too Much About, and this story was born.</p><p>Demo, you're amazing, but how the hell did you survive the MAC round? Crazy. Also, it sure was interesting writing through the perspective of the freelancers being the bad guys. Don't get me wrong, I love the freelancers, but they're not great in this story. It was also weird having to refer to Carolina as "Aqua" because I didn't want to have to repeatedly type out "the aqua one" or "the aqua freelancer".</p><p>I'm weak for hand holding, did you notice?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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